The Afghans

In her international bestseller The Bookseller of Kabul , O...sne Seierstad studied life in Afghanistan during the final days and after the fall of the Taliban regime. Now twenty years later, the Taliban is back in power, and Seierstad returns with a book to help us understand the present and future of Afghanistan. The fall of the western-backed government mirroring the Taliban''s own swift fall two decades earlier. The West promoted ideals of democracy, gender equality and human rights. Why did these ideas not take root? How did the lives of ordinary people change across these two decades? What do the Afghan people think about their country now. Following on from The Bookseller of Kabul , Land of Many Truths tells the story of Afghanistan now. To do so, Seierstad takes us inside the live of her three main protagonists - Jamila, Bashir and Ariana - and their families, friends, foes and co-fighters. Jamila is a prominent women''s rights activist; Bashi is a Taliban commander; Ariana is a law student who had one semester left when the Taliban came to power. Through their stories, we experience what has happened on the ground since the fall of the Taliban in 2001, how the first year of Taliban rule unfolded, and where this leaves Afghans such as Jamila and Bashir today, and tomorrow. ''Seierstad is masterful ... her book is world class'' Aftonbladet ''Gripping ... Seierstad succeeds in transforming the demonised stereotype - a Taliban terrorist - into a living, comprehensible human being'' Expressen ''Enthralling and heart-breaking'' Dagens Noeringsliv

Vorwort
Twenty years after The Bookseller of Kabul, internationally bestselling author Åsne Seierstad returns to Afghanistan to explore life under the Taliban today through three individuals and their families.

Autorentext

Åsne Seierstad was born in 1970 and studied Russian, Spanish and the History of Philosophy at Oslo University. An internationally bestselling author, she has also received numerous awards for her journalism. She has worked as a correspondent across the world, including in Russia, China, Iraq and Afghanistan. Most recently, Never Say War: Life inside Russia has received huge acclaim across the world and has been longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non Fiction. The Bookseller of Kabul has sold over three million copies and the paperback was in the Sunday Times top ten for over a year. Her other critically acclaimed works include A Hundred and One Days: A Baghdad Journal, The Angel of Grozny and The Afghans. Following the acts of terror in Oslo and Utoya in July 2011, she attended the trial of Anders Breivik and then began work on One of Us, which became a European bestseller. Two Sisters, her account of a family torn apart after two Norwegian girls join the war in Syria in 2013, was a number-one international bestseller and won the non-fiction category of the 2016 Brage Prize.

Klappentext

'Åsne Seierstad is the supreme non-fiction writer of her generation' Luke Harding

'As an exploration of the social fabric of Afghan life, this book takes some beating' Daily Telegraph

'An astonishing feat of writing and reporting . . . one of the finest books written on Afghanistan in a generation' Eliza Griswold, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Amity and Prosperity

'No other recent book on the subject comes close' CPW Gammell, author of The Pearl of Khorasan

In her international bestseller The Bookseller of Kabul, award-winning journalist Åsne Seierstad studied life in Afghanistan before and after the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001. Now twenty years later, the Taliban is back in power, and Seierstad returns with The Afghans, a book to help us understand Afghanistan's past, present and future, told through the lives of three unforgettable people.

In her compelling, intimate and thought-provoking new book, Seierstad introduces us to three people whose lives have been shaped by the fall and rise of the Taliban - Jamila, Bashir and Ariana - as well their families, friends, foes and co-fighters. Jamila is a women's rights activist; Bashir is a Taliban commander; Ariana is a law student who had one semester left when the Taliban came to power.

The stories of these three Afghans encompass love, loss, revolt and war as well as the everyday rhythms of family life. Through them, we experience and come to understand the lead-up to the Taliban retaking power in 2021, how the first year of Taliban rule unfolded, and where this leaves Afghans today, and tomorrow.

Praise for Åsne Seierstad:

'An intimate portrait of Afghani people quite unlike any other' Sunday Times on The Bookseller of Kabul

'Has the feel of a non-fiction novel - irresistible' New York Times on One of Us

'Hauntingly written, this book is both a masterpiece and a masterclass in investigative journalism' Christina Lamb on Two Sisters

*'*Meticulously documented, full of drama' Kate Adie on Two Sisters

Zusammenfassung

'Åsne Seierstad is the supreme non-fiction writer of her generation' Luke Harding

'As an exploration of the social fabric of Afghan life, this book takes some beating' DAILY TELEGRAPH

'No other recent book on the subject comes close' CPW Gammell, author of The Pearl of Khorasan

In her international bestseller The Bookseller of Kabul, award-winning journalist Åsne Seierstad studied life in Afghanistan before and after the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001. Now twenty years later, the Taliban is back in power, and Seierstad returns with The Afghans, a book to help us understand Afghanistan's past, present and future, told through the lives of three unforgettable people.

In her compelling, intimate and thought-provoking new book, Seierstad introduces us to three people whose lives have been shaped by the fall and rise of the Taliban - Jamila, Bashir and Ariana - as well their families, friends, foes and co-fighters. Jamila is a women's rights activist; Bashir is a Taliban commander; Ariana is a law student who had one semester left when the Taliban came to power.

The stories of these three Afghans encompass love, loss, revolt and war as well as the everyday rhythms of family life. Through them, we experience and come to understand the lead-up to the Taliban retaking power in 2021, how the first year of Taliban rule unfolded, and where this leaves Afghans today, and tomorrow.

Praise for Åsne Seierstad:

'An intimate portrait of Afghani people quite unlike any other' Sunday Times on The Bookseller of Kabul

'Has the feel of a non-fiction novel - irresistible' New York Times on One of Us

'Hauntingly written, this book is both a masterpiece and a masterclass in investigative journalism' Christina Lamb on Two Sisters

***'***Meticulously documented, full of drama' Kate Adie on Two Sisters